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Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree is a small town in Arizona, near the border of California, and the first location that the players visit in their adventure on the way to Hollywood. The town is led by the preacher Jonathan Fairmild and his fellow members of the city council, who also happen to be high ranking members of the church as well. In this town, all music, dancing, and secular magic have been outlawed by the church. Locations Church of Nofon The church of Nofon is what you would expect of a small town church. Made of stone, dimly lit within. The church has an upstairs and a basement level. The upstairs portion has several private living quarters, including rooms for the Fairmilds. Jonathan's room contains a diary in a drawer which contains two key texts. "Dear Diary, Oh, it's horrible! Abominable! There's been a tragedy, at the red barn! Last night I had heard the ruckus from the barn all the way from my room, and it was impossible to sleep with that sound going on, so I sprung out of bed to investigate and give someone a piece of my mind. When I arrived there, a mob of young adults from town gathered inside for one of their delinquent "discoteculars." and an outsider was performing music for the crowd. She was a whorish woman with black hair and clothes, or at least what some people might consider to be clothes. I didn't get a very close look, but I could have sworn that her eyes shone a sinister shade of yellow. But I was not so concerned with her appearance as I was with her music. But not just any music. It was a strange, ungodly sound from another world, with lyrics as though they were written directly by the hands of devils. This demon music was just the beginning, however, as what happened next I couldn't believe my eyes! Members of the crowd, about half of them, began to fornicate with each other! In the middle of the barn, presumably outside of wedlock! I was already nearly sick at this point, but then the horror took an even worse turn, as the other half of the crowd began to beat and bludgeon each other and the fornicators more violently than any wild animal I'd ever seen! I had to leave at this point, I needed to find the town guards. But then as I ran across the fields to town, I looked back one more time, and the barn was now entirely engulfed in flames! And as I watched, I saw a single figure dart out of the flames and into the night sky. There were no found survivors in the wreckage. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't save them. And it's all the fault of that whore, and her devil music! But no more, I say. This will never happen again, because I will protect Joshua Tree from the sounds of demons from this day forward." "Dear Diary, Today I committed something... heinous. Or at least, that's what I would have believed to be a heinous act several moons ago. Now, I'm not so sure... On my usual morning walk through the forest, I was halted by the most dreadful of sounds. A child left town and was singing lyrics written by devils. It was maddening, after everything I've done to preserve the holy silence in Joshua Tree, this brat is out here tearing my progress to shreds with his tongue, practically screaming for another Hollywood devil to bring their corrupting evil to our fair town once more. That was it, I thought, I needed to take action, and cut this nonsense out once and for all. The child's blood left a terrible stain upon my sleeves. But while I was initially mournful, I then felt Nofon's radiance befall upon me. My lord, he approves of actions! I've pleased him by bringing silence to this ear-splitting world! I feel that the time is right now. My lord wishes to have the holy silence spread across the world! I will convince the council to aid me in spreading the holy silence to the nearby towns. I hope they are understanding. If not, they will in time, and with our "guidance." Oh what would my daughter think, though... She'll have to understand... Even if it takes some "guidance" for her as well..." The Plucky Pixie Inn The Plucky Pixie Inn was once a place of merriment and good times. The general decor of the place was bright and festive, but due to age, the colors within have faded, and the establishment now looks especially bleak. There is a small stage in the corner of the main hall that has fallen into disarray from years without maintenance or use. History Red Barn Massacre 10 years before the players arrive in Joshua Tree , a terrible massacre took place where the audience to a performance by the musician Zalrellah suddenly went into a violent rage against each other, leaving almost everyone dead, and the barn burnt to the ground. When Jonathan Fairmild bore witness to the event, he took it upon himself to have music, dancing, and secular magic outlawed within Joshua Tree . Future When the party returns to Joshua Tree it will be totally transformed into a fortress city that is shrouded by the iron curtain. (A literal iron curtain made up of blades) The church took Marx's added message of communism to the Stalin level, and they've overhauled the town into a great, oppressive city-state. Music and magic are allowed now, but from 5-9 a state an anthem not unlike the Soviet anthem plays every hour. The population of Joshua Tree has grown exponentially in a very short time, as the church of Nofon has done a fuck load of outreach to all of the neighboring towns and farms to bring them into the iron curtain with the promise of a happy life of equality and prosperity. In addition to the influx of people, the infrastructure has seen a massive overhaul to take it from a small town to a city state in a relatively short amount of time. Many of the Bandit Band of Boblins have even taken up residence in the underbelly of Joshua Tree. The Joshua Tree has been raised to a hill within the center of the city. The symbol of the hammer and cycle have been carved into the base of the tree to commemorate the night that Nofon visited the church council.